The Story of Love and Responsibility
by YaoiGoddessNekoJin
Summary: Kai and Rei are both princes of their respective lands. What happens when their parents arrange a marriage to bring peace to the lands? Will love prevail or will a psycho grandfather destroy their lives?
1. Chapter 1: Breaking the News

**Title:** The Story of Love and Responsibility

**Author:** YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Violence, Language, Implied Rape

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing. *runs off crying* hehe

**A/N:** All right, here's a story that I wrote about three years ago and I'm just now getting around to posting it. ^-^;;;; Anyway, I've already got the entire story written, I just have to type it up and post it. Well, on with the show!

_**Chapter I: Breaking the News**_

_In the days of warring kingdoms, kings sought any kind of peace they could find. Some even went as far as arranging marriages between their offspring to unite two kingdoms and bring strength to each of them. This is where our story begins, with two young princes who have a lot to learn about politics and love._

"Yes, I understand we've been sworn enemies for the longest time, but with this new and more powerful enemy rising, I believe that our alliance is necessary."

"Well, how do you propose we form this so called alliance?"

"Union through marriage, of course. You have a son and my Rei is more than willing to serve his kingdom."

"Hmm...Yes, that would work. And, it would be a smart move, seeing that these are troubled times. Very well, I give my consent. Our sons shall be wed on your son's sixteenth birthday."

"Thank you sir." The young woman stood from her place at the elegant table, her long, black hair cascading behind her. She bowed and walked out of the large, double doors. She hated that she had to come here to ask for help. Kenji Hiwatari was a good man with a good heart. No, it wasn't him she was worried about. It was his father. Voltaire Hiwatari was the most evil and black-hearted man she'd ever seen. She didn't want to force her only son into a family with such a horrible and dangerous man, but she had no choice. Like it or not, the Hiwatari Kingdom was amongst the most powerful in the land. If her kingdom was to survive this new threat, they would need all the help they could get. And, if that meant becoming an ally to the devil himself, then so be it. The truth was, she was terrified of what this union would bring, but she wanted her son to be able to live happily in times of peace. To make that happen, she would have to make sacrifices.

By the time her thoughts dispersed, the young woman found that she had already arrived back at her castle and found herself in front of her son's bedroom door. She knocked, and when she received no answer, she poked her head in through the cracked doorway. The sight that greeted her made a warm smile come to her face. There, on the bed, lay her son. He was fast asleep, curled up in a feline-like ball. His unusually long, raven hair out of it's binding and spread over him like a blanket. She slowly walked over to the bed and started petting his head. A soft rumble was heard in the back of his throat. She smiled and sat on the bed beside the slumbering three year-old. She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes at the thought of having to give up her beloved son to the Hiwatari family. In the end, she knew it was for the betterment of her people and she could only hope her son would understand as well. She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard a small sleep-laden voice.

"Mommy?"

"What is it sweetie?" she asked, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"What's wrong?" Rei cocked his head to the side in a cute, inquisitive manner.

"Nothing. I do have something to tell you, though." She absently started stroking his hair again. "You do know that these times are rough for all the kingdoms, right?" When the young boy slowly nodded his head, she continued. "Well, we need to form and alliance..." she paused, remembering that she was speaking to a three year-old. "...a...friendship...with another kingdom. But, to do that, we need to have a wedding." At this, the young boy's face lit up with excitement.

"A wedding?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Oooh! Fun! Who's it for?"

"Well, Rei, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, the agreement was, that when you turn sixteen, you would marry the young prince of the Hiwatari kingdom."

"Really?" The young woman nodded and winced, afraid that Rei would be opposed to the idea. She was surprised, however, when she heard her son clap his hands gleefully.

"Yay! A wedding! Can I wear a pwetty dress?" Rei's mother laughed, glad her son wasn't upset by the news. He hopped off the large bed and his mother took his hand, heading down to the dining room for lunch.

Unbeknownst to them, in a kingdom not so far away, a certain five year-old wasn't taking the news of the marriage as well as young Rei.

~x~x~x~

"WHAT?!" A young, angered voice echoed throughout the castle halls. Several new servants looked up at the outburst whilst the older ones were quite used to such situations.

"KAI, SIT!" bellowed a much older voice. A young, five year-old boy sat down hard in an old wooden chair, arms crossed and glaring at the old man in front of him. The gray haired man before him returned his glare, even more venom present in the elder's murderous look.

"You will _not_ raise your voice to me again, do you understand?" the man ordered in a stern voice.

"Yes grandfather." Kai forced out, ever so slightly bowing his head.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Kai's grandfather gave him a pointed look and folded his hands across the large, red oak desk he was sitting at. This just made Kai scowl even more. "You're father has agreed to the terms of an arranged marriage between you and the worthless brat of the Kon family. As I said before, this may just work to our advantage. Once you are wed to that piece of trash, all you have to do is ensure he has an 'accident' and _you_ automatically gain complete control of his kingdom. This means that I will be one step closer to being the most powerful ruler the world has ever seen." Voltaire ended his speech with sinister, maniacal laughter. The young bluenette, however, rose to his feet, his stoic expression staying firmly in place.

"If that's all you require of me, than I'll take my leave."

"Very well. Be gone." Voltaire spoke with a dismissive wave of his hand. Kai spun on his heels and marched out of his grandfather's study, his mind reeling with what he had just been told. If his grandfather wanted him to kill someone, he would do it. Just as long as he didn't have to stay married to the idiotic little brat for long.

~x~x~x~

**TBC...**

**A/N:** So, what do ya think? And, as I was typing this, I realized that Kai was incredibly mature for being five...oh well, it works, he does live with Voltaire after all. So, review and let me know what you guys think. Is it worth typing up the other chappies?


	2. Chapter 2: The Day We Met

**Title:** The Story of Love and Responsibility

**Author:** YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Violence, Language, Implied Rape

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing. *runs off crying* hehe

**A/N:** Okay, so I decided to go ahead and post chapter two. Hehe.

_**Chapter II: The Day We Met**_

A woman with long, flowing, black hair stood at her window watching her son play with his pet tiger. Her son was now ten years-old and he had grown into quite a remarkable young man. His hair was also longer, just reaching past the small of his back. The woman smiled softly as she watched Rei using the tiger as a pillow. Drigger, his pet tiger, was just a cub. Rei had had Drigger's mother since he was two, but when she died, he took Drigger as his companion. As she was lost in her thought, Rei's mother failed to hear the soft clicks of the door opening and closing. It wasn't until she felt strong arms wrap around her waist that she realized someone was in the room with her.

"Hello my beautiful Wu. What'cha doing?" came the soft voice.

"Nothing. Just watching a handsome, young man with his tiger." she answered, a mischievous smirk coming to her lips.

"Ah, any need for me to be jealous?" he asked, looking out the window and smiling as well. Wu turned around in her husband's arms and smiled innocently up at him.

"Of course not. You're the only one for me." She made her point by standing on her tip toes and kissing him. When they parted, they smiled warmly and lovingly at each other. "Wo ai ni, Lan." she muttered.

"Wo ai ni, Wu." he replied before remembering something. "Oh, yes, a messenger from the Hiwatari castle came by. He said that the Hiwataris are requesting that we come to their kingdom for a formal dinner and for our sons to meet."

"When do they want us there?"

"Tonight."

"Well, I guess we'd better go get Rei in and into the bath if we're ever going to make it." she sighed. "I'll go get him. You go help the stable hands and driver get the horses and the carriage ready for the journey." Lan leaned in for a quick kiss and they both went their separate ways.

~x~x~x~

Rei was by a shimmering lake in the forest when he heard his mother calling him. He looked at Drigger, who was currently trying to catch a butterfly, and laughed as he rose to his feet. He headed towards the clearing that was his back yard with Drigger following suit.

Rei's mother watched, with a soft smile on her lips, as her son and his tiger came racing out of the forest toward her. Rei came to a skidding stop in front of his mother, pausing to catch his breath.

"You wanted to see me mother?" he inquired.

"Yes, I need you to run upstairs and take a bath."

"Huh? Why now?"

"We're going to the Hiwatari Kingdom. You get to meet your future husband tonight. So, get a bath and look your best." Wu gave a small chuckle at her son. He was so excited that it was terribly hard for him to keep it all in. "Well, hurry up!"

"Okay! Bye!" Within an instant, Rei was gone. Wu laughed to herself, but, deep down, she was worried. Knowing how Voltaire was, she was nervous that Kai may be just as cold and uncaring as his grandfather. She didn't want her son heartbroken by the fact that his finance couldn't care less about him, but she really had no choice.

~x~x~x~

Lan and Wu were standing outside their carriage, waiting for Rei. Suddenly, the castle door was thrown open and Rei came running out. Both looked their son up and down, eying what he had on. He was dressed in a long, traditional, gold kimono. It had a large, black dragon winding it's way up from the bottom, it's head ending at his chest. The kimono also had a black trim. He wore his hair in a long braid with his royal crown settled around his head. The crown was a simple, golden band that ran around his forehead. It was set with tiny diamonds, so tiny that it made the crown shimmer in the light as if it were covered in glitter. In short, he looked like an Asian angel.

"You look so handsome sweetie!" Wu exclaimed.

"Well, are you two ready?" Lan inquired.

"Yes!" they both announced in unison.

~x~x~x~

The ride to the Hiwatari Kingdom was quite a long one. Rei dozed off several times before they arrived at the castle. Rei had just woken up when he saw something large in the distance. It was a large, foreboding castle. The castle was huge and made of cinder block. The architecture was clearly Gothic and it had large, iron gates in the front. The castle's ledges were also home to several scary looking gargoyles. The appearance really intimidated and frightened Rei.

"T-that's not the Hiwatari castle is it?" Rei asked in a small, scared voice. '_Please don't let that be it._'

"It sure is." his mother replied, dashing his hopes.

"Oh..."

"Don't be scared, sweetie. It's not as bad as it looks." Wu tried, unsuccessfully, to cheer her son up.

Rei swallowed hard as he stared at the terrifying castle. Just knowing that he was going to have to enter it was enough to cause him to break out in a cold sweat. The large gates made an eerie creaking noise as they opened, granting passage to the long, evil looking driveway. He started wringing his hands nervously, anticipating the horror that was laying in wait behind the huge, wooden, double doors. As their carriage came to a stop, Rei's mouth went dry. His father and mother exited the carriage and he followed. As the trio were approaching the castle doors, they opened, a thin ray of light revealing a tall man with dark, purple hair. Rei felt uneasy around the man. He couldn't explain it, but, for some reason, he didn't like this man. Not one bit.

"This way, my master has been waiting." The man started walking up a large set of stairs in the dimly lit castle. The top of the stairs transformed into a long, dark corridor. Rei was extremely nervous about what would be found at the end of the terrifying stretch of house. He started fiddling with the hem of his sleeve and chewed his bottom lip in worry. Finally, they stopped in front of huge, double doors. As their guide opened the doors, they were met with a massive, dim room. The only light came from several candles that were placed in various areas throughout the chamber. The bad feeling Rei had earlier was amplified ten-fold when he stepped into the dark room. Behind a large desk at the far end of the room sat an old man. His hair was fairly long and gray. To the left of the desk sat a younger man, possibly the same age as Rei's own father, his light blue hair nearly reaching his shoulders. But, neither of those men captivated Rei's attention like the boy that was leaning up against the wall to the right of the desk. The boy looked to be a couple of years older than himself. He had his arms crossed and one leg crossed over the other. His hair was the most unusual color Rei had ever seen. The front was a slate gray and the back was a dark blue that vaguely reminded Rei of the ocean. His hair wasn't the only thing that captivated Rei, though. His eyes were mesmerizing, piercing crimson red in color. Also, Rei noticed that the boy's clothes were a bit unusual as well. The boy wore a tight fitting, crimson, sleeveless top. It showed off his well defined muscles, unusual for a boy so young. He also wore baggy, black pants with a red belt around his waist. The silver belt buckle that adorned the front of the belt had the image of a mighty phoenix engraved into it. Rei also noticed the black combat boots and black, fingerless gloves that reached the boy's elbows. However, he didn't see anything on the boy that told him of his status in the castle. Rei was sure he was someone important, seeing as he was dressed to nicely to be a mere servant. And, the way he held himself, uncaring yet regal. Another clue to his social standing were the blue fins that adorned each side of his face. It was considered bad etiquette to allow slaves or servants to wear anything like that on their faces. Rei was startled from his thoughts by a deep, gruff voice addressing them.

"Lord Kon, glad to see you again." Voltaire smirked evilly as he spoke.

"You too Lord Voltaire." Rei could tell that his father put on a fake smile when speaking to the old man.

"Well, shall we get down to business? Lord and Lady Kon, this is my son, Kai." the younger man spoke, gesturing to the young boy standing against the wall. Kai had been in his own little world and hadn't even realized that there were other people in the room until Lan addressed him.

"Well, Kai, it's nice to meet you. This is my son, Rei." Kai's eyes widened as Lan moved to the side to reveal the ethereal beauty that was standing there. Kai was amazed at how long and gorgeous his raven, black hair was. He even thought, Gods help him for even _thinking_ the a-word, that the small blush that adorned the bridge of Rei's nose made him look absolutely adorable. Kai shivered slightly, he _hated_ that word, but it was necessary to describe the way the raven haired beauty looked at the moment.

"Well," Wu began. "Why don't you and Kai run downstairs and get better acquainted. I'm sure all this technical stuff will bore you to tears." Wu smiled warmly at her son.

"Yes mother." Rei bowed slightly to the Hiwataris in the room and headed toward the door. He stopped, however, when he noticed that Kai wasn't following.

"Kai." Kenji said sternly.

"Hn." was Kai's only response before he walked to the door and shoved his way past Rei. He may have thought the boy was beautiful in a moment of weakness, but that didn't mean he had to play nice. Rei stood there blinking for a few seconds before he followed Kai.

~x~x~x~

Kai and Rei walked down the long staircase in silence. Billions of different thoughts were whirling around in his mind. Why was Kai so cold? Why was Kai so pushy? Why was Kai so hot? '_Woah, back up. Where did that come from?_' Rei's mind was so busy trying to figure out the answers to his questions that he missed it when Kai stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He ran right into Kai's back with a soft 'oof.' Kai growled ferally, spinning on his heels, crimson eyes blazing.

"Oh...u-uh...s-sorry..." Rei stuttered out, intimidated by the deadly gleam in Kai's eyes. Kai spun back around and started walking off.

"W-where are you going?" Rei asked.

"Away." Kai snapped. Rei was taken aback by Kai's tone of voice. For such a quiet guy, he could really be loud. Rei scrambled after Kai. It wasn't his home and he didn't want to stumble into any place he wasn't welcome. Kai noticed, with annoyance, that Rei was following him. It wasn't that he enjoyed being mean to Rei or anything. He was just confused about the things this young, naive boy was making him feel for the first time in his life. He needed some time alone to sort through his thoughts. Everything his grandfather ever taught him clashed with these awakening feelings and plummeted his mind into turmoil. And, it was all caused by the very presence of this boy. Kai walked out to one of the many balconies of the house. He went to lean on the rail and stood there, facing the large garden below, in silence for a while. He could sense that Rei was still standing behind him. Unbeknownst to Kai, Rei was standing there, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He had no idea what Kai would do next or what he was capable of. The silence was starting to get to Rei, it was almost deafening. They both stood there for what seemed like hours, but was actually only minutes. Finally, it was too much and Rei spoke.

"So...uh...I guess...uh...we're gonna...get married..." he stuttered nervously. Kai merely grunted at the stupid comment. Rei fidgeted for a moment before continuing to speak. "So, uh...what's your favorite color?" he tried.

"Are you acting or are you really just stupid?" Kai inquired gruffly, still facing towards the garden.

"W-what?" Rei spluttered. Kai just turned and walked back inside the house. He was going to the garden in hopes of losing the pest. Rei quickly followed, getting angrier by the second. "Excuse me! Hello? I'm talking to you here! What do you mean I'm stupid?" Kai just sighed and walked faster. He rounded a corner and went out the door to the garden. He went into a patch of trees and bushes to lose his pursuer. Suddenly, he heard a 'SPLASH' and all complaints from the cat-eyed boy were cut off. Kai turned around and couldn't hide a snicker of amusement at the sight before him. Rei had tripped and fallen, face first, into the fountain that was in the middle of the garden. His rear was sticking straight up in the air, head submerged in the water. He raised his head with a splutter, turning around and attempting to get out of the fountain. Instead, he ended up falling back into the fountain, only in a sitting position this time. Rei sat there, looking annoyed and oddly like a drowned rat, as he spit out a mouthful of water. Kai just stood where he was, snickering the entire time.

"You think this is funny, do you?" Rei asked, agitated.

"Hn. It just proves that you _are_ stupid." At that, Rei huffed angrily.

"Just get over here and help me out." Rei demanded. Kai's feet began moving of their own accord and, before he knew it, he was standing in front of Rei, his hand out before him. Rei took the proffered hand and, with a devious glint in his eyes, pulled as hard as he could. Kai's eyes went wide with surprise as he fell into the fountain with a rather large splash. Rei started laughing hysterically as a soggy and glaring Kai resurfaced. His once rebellious hair hung limp with water and the blue markings ran down his cheeks in blue rivers. Kai soon found that Rei's laugh was highly contagious and, try as he might, he couldn't hold in the laughter that bubbled up from his own throat. It was the first time, since Kai could remember, that he had laughed this hard. It felt...good. When they both finally calmed down, they looked at each other and got lost in the other's eyes. One, deep depths of molten fire, and the other, luscious pools of warm, golden honey. As if in a trance, both their faces began moving, of their own accord, toward the other. Lips met and eyes closed in a sweet, gentle, first kiss. Suddenly, there was a call from inside, breaking both boys out of the powerful trance. They pulled, hastily, away from one another. Rei looked away blushing.

"S...sorry..." he apologized as he stood, water dripping from his clothes. Kai stood as well, walking quickly back inside as Rei followed a safe distance behind.

~x~x~x~

The evening was over and the Kons were traveling back to their lands. Rei glanced out the window, looking at the large, silver moon. He touched his lips and smiled softly.

~x~x~x~

Kai walked over to his window, the cool night air ruffling his hair. He gave the smallest of smiles and glanced at the moon. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

~x~x~x~

**TBC...**

**A/N:** R&R!


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

**Title:** The Story of Love and Responsibility

**Author:** YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Violence, Language, Implied Rape

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing. *runs off crying* hehe

**A/N:** Okay, well here's Chapter 3. Before we get to that, though, there are some things I'd like to mention. First of all, thanks bunches to all of my reviewers, favoriters, and alerters. (I don't think those last two are words...well, they are now. Hehe) All you guys rock! Also, this time around, Ive decided to answer some review stuff in this author note instead of individually, seeing as some of the things mentioned were similar. First, to address the ages in the last chapter. I actually thought the same thing you guys did when it came to that and was apprehensive, at first, to make them that young and still include the kiss in it. However, I really wanted there to be quite a bit of time between then and the next time they saw each other. I wanted them to reunite when Rei was 16 and Kai was 18 and also for enough time to have passed so that they would be hard pressed to recognize each other. I had limited options and, in the end, decided that six years was a good number for that. I kept the kiss because I wanted to convey a feeling of spur-of-the-moment attraction. I do agree with you guys about that and, that's actually why I kept it short, simple, and sweet. Second, I wanted to go ahead and clear up something before I confuse anybody like I did myself. I just realized that, in Chapter 1, Kenji tells Wu that Kai and Rei will marry each other on Rei's 16th birthday. Well, I really shouldn't have used that particular wording because it kind of throws off the rest of the story. Let's just assume Kenji just meant that they would get married when Rei was 16 and not literally on the day he turned 16, shall we. Third, I just wanted to let you guys know that updates will take a little longer because I'm going to work on fleshing out the story and developing it more. I read over the entire thing for the first time in several years the other day and found that it was entirely too short and jumped too quickly. So, I'm going to work on making it better as I type it. And, I just wanted to thank you all again for your awesome reviews and constructive criticism. I hope this clears up some things and, when in doubt, just remember, there is a method to my madness...most of the time...^-^ Well, enough of this boring chatter, on with the story!

_**Chapter III: Reunion**_

Kai looked out his bedroom window. It was raining. He sighed and stood from the window seat that adorned his room. Kai was eighteen now and had changed a lot throughout the years. He had gotten taller, he developed more defined muscles, and his hair had become even more unruly. But, the one thing that never changed was his attitude. Kai grumbled as he threw open his bedroom door. He had been planning to go into town and visit his childhood friends, Tala and Bryan. Unfortunately, it had begun to rain a couple of hours earlier. Of course, he _could_ always go anyway, but he really _hated_ the rain. He grumbled once more before heading down to the dining room for dinner.

~x~x~x~

Rei sighed wistfully as he looked out of the cave at the rain. This cave was his favorite place to think. He absentmindedly stroked Drigger's fur as the now large tiger purred in appreciation. The sixteen year-old grinned mischievously as he rose from his spot on the ground. His braided rope of midnight hair tumbled down his back until it came to a stop halfway down his thighs. Drigger looked up at his owner questioningly as Rei moved swiftly out of the cave. Almost immediately he was soaked to the bone, but he just laughed joyously as he spread his arms and twirled and danced in the rain.

~x~x~x~

The morning sun shone brilliantly over the bustling town. The rain glistened brightly as it still clung to the leaves and plants from the rainstorm the night before. The birds sang gleefully in the trees, glad to be out in the open after the storm. Amidst all the happiness and beauty, a young man with a surly aura trudged agitatedly down the street. Kai shoved his hands in his pockets as he cursed the world. He _hated_ crowds. He _hated_ people. He _hated_ rocks. He paused for a moment, glaring at a rock that was in his way before kicking it. Kai kept walking, nearing the bakery that his friends owned and resided at. Kai had known Tala and Bryan ever since he was three years-old.

_A three year-old Kai walked carefully down the vast hallway. He was grasping a bouquet of random flowers that he had picked from the garden earlier. Small bits of dirt trailed behind him, falling from the clumps of dirt still hanging on the roots of the flowers. When he came to a large door, he reached out a small, dirty hand and opened it. He quietly treaded into the dim room, large, innocent, crimson eyes glancing to the bed. Laying in the bed was a woman, her frail looking body seemingly buried by the fluffy blankets. Kai walked over to the bed and watched as her pale face as dull ruby eyes slowly opened._

"_Kai?" came the hoarse whisper from dry lips._

"_I brought you a present Mommy." Kai held the flowers out to his mother. She smiled softly and took the flowers from the grinning boy, not caring about the dirt still falling from the roots._

"_They're lovely Kai. Do me a favor and go fill a vase with water and bring it up." She smiled at Kai once more, this one more fatigued than the prior. It seemed Kai's visit had used up most of her energy. Kai returned the smile with his own bright one before running out the door and down the stairs to get the vase._

_When Kai returned to his mother's room, precariously carrying the vase, water sloshing from one side to the other, he was slightly disappointed to find that his mother had fallen asleep, the flowers still clutched in her bony hand. Kai walked over to the bed and set the vase on the bedside table. He then proceeded to gently ease the flowers out of his mother's hand and settled them in the vase. Kai looked back at his mother, smiling sadly, and leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead._

"_I love you Mommy." he whispered._

_The next day, Kai awoke in a fairly good mood. He was hoping his mother felt better than she did the day before. It seemed that everyone, even Kai's own father, had given up hope that his mother would get better. He hadn't though. He was still optimistic that she would get better and everything would go back to the way it used to be. As Kai made his way down the hall, toward his mother's room, he noticed something odd. His father and a couple of maids were standing outside his mother's door. His father had his head down and was shaking slightly. As Kai got closer, he noticed that he was crying as well. Kai had a bad feeling so he walked up to his father and gently tugged on his pant leg._

"_What's the matter Daddy?" he asked in a small voice. Kenji looked down at his son and a fresh wave of sobs wracked his body as he collapsed in front of Kai and enveloped him in a tight hug._

"_Oh Kai." he murmured. He slightly tightened his hold on Kai as he tried to find the right words to continue. "Kai, look at me." Kai slowly turned questioning crimson eyes on his father. "Kai, Mommy's gone." he said, choking on the words._

"_Huh?" Kai questioned, not fully understanding. "No she's not."_

"_Kai, I'm sorry. She is and..." Kenji was cut off as Kai began to get agitated._

"_No she's not. She's right in there." he spoke with more force than a three year-old should ever use. "See, I'll show you!" And, before Kenji could react, Kai wriggled from his grasp and threw open his __mother's door. When he was a couple of feet from the bed, he stopped and furrowed his brow in confusion. His mother was pale, very pale. She didn't move as Kai reached out a hand and gently shook her shoulder._

"_Mommy, wake up." he murmured. When she didn't respond, Kai shook her a little more forcefully. "Mommy, please wake up." Kai began to panic and used all the force he could muster in his tiny body to try and shake his mother awake. "Mommy! Please! Wake up! Mommy!" tears streamed down his face as his calls turned into frantic yells. "MOMMY! NO, PLEASE! MOMMY!" Abruptly, Kai quieted and he stopped shaking his mother and his arms fell limply to his sides. His tears were coming at a faster pace from his wide eyes and he slowly shook his head in a disbelieving manner. As quickly as he had burst in, Kai turned and dashed out of the room. As he left, the vase of flowers from the previous day wobbled precariously before falling to the floor. The flowers on the floor were withered up and had died overnight, death pressing down on every living thing that dared to enter the room._

_Kai vaguely recalled hearing his father calling to him as he ran down the hall. He didn't care though. All he cared about was the fact that his mother wouldn't wake up. His father was right, she was gone...and she wasn't coming back. Kai's tears refused to stop as he ran through the front doors of the castle he called home and into town. After running for what seemed like hours, Kai ended up sitting under the giant sakura tree that his mother used to bring him to. He sat there, alone, crying for the loss of the woman who cared for him and loved him and always made sure he was okay. A blur of red was Kai's only warning before his hearing was accosted by a high pitched voice questioned him loudly._

"_What'cha doin'?" Kai looked up with red, puffy eyes, tears still falling, to see a boy, about his age, looking at him with big, blue eyes and a mass of flaming red hair. Beside him was another boy, slightly older than the first, who had lilac hair and the palest eyes Kai had ever seen. He sniffled, not answering the boy's question. Seeing that Kai wasn't going to answer him, the boy offered his hand to Kai, proclaiming rather loudly, "Hi! I'm Tala." He then motioned to the boy standing beside him. "This is Bryan." Kai slowly reached up and grasped Tala's hand before responding._

"_Kai." he whispered._

Ever since that moment, Kai, Tala, and Bryan had been best friends. In fact, other than his parents, they were the only people he really cared about. They stuck with him, even the following year when his Voltaire had conditioned him to be an emotionless shell of his former self. But, despite all of Voltaire's training, Tala and Bryan had kept him sane and semi-human.

Kai shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts. He really didn't like to dwell on the past much; it was too painful. Kai looked down the street and saw that he had nearly arrived at his destination. He could just make out the 'Silver Paws Bakery' sign. The sign had a falcon and wolf carved intricately into the wood and sparkled in the sun with small silver accents. Kai removed his hands from his pockets and continued down his path. It wasn't until he heard a gruff voice that he paused, looking up to where the voice was coming from.

"Heh heh. Hey there pretty kitty. Y'know, it's not smart for you neko-jin trash to come to the Hiwatari Kingdom." Kai glared in the direction of the voice. He stalked over to see just what was going on.

~x~x~x~

Rei hummed softly as he dressed himself in a long, plain looking cloak. He was planning on going into the heart of the Hiwatari Kingdom and had to disguise himself. Rei loved big, bustling towns, but was easily recognized in his own kingdom. It wasn't _that_ far away if he took a horse, so he walked out into the bright, sunny yard, heading for the stables. Rei pushed opened the door and greeted the stable hand, a boy with navy hair tied back into a short pony tail with a strip of leather, who was currently brushing one of the gigantic stallions.

"Hi Tyson." He smiled and Tyson turned, giving a huge grin in return.

"Hey Rei. Going into town again today?"

"Yeah, would you help me get Stardust ready?"

"Sure." Tyson turned and put the horse he was currently working on back in it's stall before walking to another one. He opened the door and lead a young, black horse out into the middle of the stall. The horse was beautiful and had tiny, silver spots on his back haunches. It didn't take long for the two boys to saddle up the horse and, as Rei mounted it, he waved goodbye to Tyson and began his trek to the Hiwatari Kingdom.

Once he arrived in town, Rei dismounted his horse and paid to leave him in a nearby stable* for the day. He then headed to the marketplace, walking up and down the rows upon rows of vendors and shop owners. His amber eyes sparkled with joy as he laid them on all the wondrous things that were being sold. Rei always had a taste for the types of things that were sold in the marketplace. It made him feel more like a normal boy instead of the prince he was. As Rei looked ahead of him, he noticed there was a rather large puddle of water that nearly took up the entire road. 'Great.' he thought rather sarcastically. Normally, Rei wouldn't mind all that much to walk through a puddle of water, but he didn't really feel like walking around with wet shoes for the rest of the day. So, Rei walked around the puddle, thankful that there wasn't a vendor in that particular spot seeing as he had to stay close to the brick wall of a one of the surrounding buildings to avoid the water. Rei was so distracted by trying to avoid getting wet, he didn't notice someone was behind him until he was jerked back into a dark alley that he had been walking past. Rei's eyes widened in terror and surprise and he tried to scream only to be met with silence as a large, dirty hand was placed roughly over his mouth. He then closed his eyes in pain as his back was slammed harshly against the brick wall of the alley. When he opened them again, he was met with an average sized man with short, greasy, black hair and a scraggly beard. As Rei realized just how close the man was to him, he noticed that he had several missing teeth and breath that smelled vaguely of rotting fish. Rei had the urge to vomit as the man moved his face in even closer. The evil smirk he was given, followed by a guttural chuckle made Rei's stomach churn even more.

"Heh heh. Hey there pretty kitty." he started in a gruff voice. "Y'know, it's not smart for you neko-jin trash to come to the Hiwatari Kingdom." As the man finished speaking, he rested a suggestive hand on Rei's thigh which made him jolt in surprise. 'No no no no no no.' Rei repeated over and over in his mind. 'This can't be happening. I can't let this happen.' Rei's mind began whirling in panic as the hand on his thigh slowly started moving. His mind finally supplied him with an idea and Rei bit down as hard as he could on the hand that rested over his mouth. The man jumped away from Rei with a howl of pain, holding his bleeding hand. Rei took his chance and made a run for the entrance to the alley. Before he could get far, however, the hood on the back of his robe was grabbed and he was spun around. Before he knew what was happening, a fist made contact with his face, causing him to fall back onto the ground with a grunt. Once his vision stopped swimming, he sat up and carefully reached a hand up to his busted lip. He let out a terrified shriek and began to scramble backwards, tears beginning to cascade down his cheeks, as the man advanced on him with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

~x~x~x~

Kai had seen enough. He had walked over to the alley just in time to see a young girl get hit by a middle aged man. He growled deep in his throat as he walked up behind the girl on the ground. His grandfather may have had a rather large impression on Kai when he was growing up, but so did his father, and Kai would never forget his mother. They both taught him that things like this weren't right and should be stopped. As Kai came to a stop behind the girl, he winced as she let out an ear splitting scream. The older man had yet to notice Kai, as he was too busy glaring at the girl, and said girl was scooting backwards in an attempt to escape. When the girl ran into Kai's legs, she looked up and, as crimson met gold, Kai felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu. He shook off the feeling and stepped around the surprised, but thankful girl, who Kai just realized, as he got a better look, was a boy, and glared at the man in front of him. After a short glaring contest, Kai rushed forward and landed a punch to the side of the man's head. After being stunned for a moment, the man began to get back to his feet and glared even more at Kai.

"Why you little..." the man growled, glaring at Kai before spitting on the ground.

"Leave him alone." Kai ordered in a low, deadly voice. The man glared back at him before his eyes widened in sudden recognition.

"Y-y-you're..." he stuttered.

"Yes I am, so, if you value your life, I better not catch you anywhere near this boy again." Kai stated in a deathly calm voice. Kai turned to Rei, who, until that point, had been completely ignored by both parties, and hoisted him from the ground. As Kai began to drag an emotionally drained Rei, in the background, the man sneered and yelled,

"This isn't over you little bitch"

~x~x~x~

Once Kai and Rei made it back out to the street, Kai took off down the road. Rei looked up, surprised, tears still glistening in his eyes and rolling down bronze skin. Silently, he began to walk, following Kai like a lost kitten. While Kai was walking, he could feel that someone was following him. He wasn't sure who it was until he heard a miserable sounding sniffle. He just grit his teeth and kept walking, hoping that the boy would get the idea and just leave. When he finally arrived at the bakery and was still being followed, he whipped around, thoroughly annoyed by the pathetic presence.

"What do you want?" he growled. Rei cringed and shrank back. His tears came at a faster pace as he tried to find his voice.

"I-I-I w-wanted to th-thank you." Kai looked into the pitiful, watery, golden eyes and felt his resolve slowly weakening. He huffed and turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. Rei just stared, confusedly, at his back, blinking. Kai stood there for a moment before walking into the alley beside the bakery and stopping at the door. He turned and looked at Rei.

"Well, are you coming or not?" he asked gruffly. Rei gasped slightly at the offer before giving a tiny, strained smile. Kai felt the corners of his mouth twitch, trying to pull upwards in a smile. Before that could happen, though, he turned back to the door, banging on it. Rei jumped slightly at the sudden noise. 'I hope he's not too mad.' Rei thought. 'I really don't want to be on the street by myself right now, though.' He wrung his hands in the nervous silence as they waited for someone to answer the door. After Kai rapped his fist on the door once more, they heard a muffled 'coming' and stumbling around coming from inside the bakery. A few moments later, the wooden door creaked open to reveal a tall, lean boy with light, lilac hair. His seemingly cold, pale eyes swept over Kai before resting on Rei in an inquisitive stare. Rei blushed profusely when he noticed the boy was clad in nothing but a sheet, which he held wrapped around his waist. Kai smirked.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." he stated in a suggestive voice, arching one delicate eyebrow.

"Not at all." the boy smirked back, glancing back at Rei who, during the short conversation, had fallen victim to his persistant tears once more. "What's with him?" he asked, just now seeing the way Rei was trembling. Kai sighed.

"Let me in Bryan, and I'll explain." At this, Bryan stepped aside and granted Kai and Rei entrance to the small bakery. Rei looked around in wonderment. The area in front of him was a single room that acted as a living space. To the left was a door, which was currently open, that led to the bakery. To the right was a tiny kitchenette and a bathroom was to the left of that. Rei blushed again, though his tears still weren't relenting, as he caught sight of the bed to the back of the room. Another boy, this one with flame red hair and ice blue eyes, was trying to cover himself up with the only sheet left on the disheveled bed.

"Hey Tala." Kai greeted in an unsurprised voice. Rei was amazed how calm he was. It was as if this were a common occurrence. Tala puffed out his cheeks indignantly, a light blush dusting the bridge of his nose.

"Bryan?" he yelled. "What the hell is your problem? You don't just let a stranger and a smirking jackass in when I'm not dressed." Tala glared at Bryan and Kai, switching from one to the other.

"Why not?" Bryan questioned before smugly adding, "Share the wealth." Bryan smirked as Tala let out a feral growl and a pillow went sailing through the air, aimed at his head. By this time, Rei's tears had died down and he was left with small sniffles and hiccups, confusion written all over his face as he watched the scene unfold before him. Rei was momentarily startled as icy eyes met his amber ones. Tala's stare unnerved Rei because he couldn't tell what he was thinking. 'For all I know, he could be wondering why his friend is with such a loser.' Rei thought forlornly.

"I'm going to get dressed. Kai, why don't you and..." Tala trailed off, still staring at Rei, who had been so entranced by that gaze, that he was completely unaware of what was being said and was startled when all eyes in the room were on him. He looked around questioningly and Kai sighed in frustration.

"Your name. What's your name?" Rei blushed again, this time in embarrassment.

"Rei." he whispered.

"...Rei head to the bakery." Tala continued. Kai's eyebrows rose slightly at the name. 'That name...it's seems familiar.' Kai shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked toward the door that led to the bakery as he motioned for Rei to follow him. Rei timidly walked across the floor and the two stepped into the other room. Rei's eyes widened as the smell of breads and sweets hit his nose. The mouth-watering smell caused his stomach to rumble with hunger. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't had anything to eat since he got up that morning. Rei looked up sharply when he heard what sounded suspiciously like a chuckle come from where Kai was standing. Kai looked at Rei in amusement when he noticed the boy's usually tan skin turn a light shade of pink.

"Be careful. Your face may stay that color." Kai said, smirking. Rei's face turned the color of Tala's hair and he looked at his feet. Rei was too embarrassed to notice that Kai had moved from his spot until a huge muffin was being shoved in his face. He looked up, startled by the pastry. He smiled, awkwardly, and reach out a tentative hand to accept the proffered snack.

"Hn." Kai acknowledged, grabbing a pastry of his own. Kai's sweet of choice was a large donut smothered in chocolate and covered with chopped nuts. They both nibbled on their respective snacks in silence. This one, however was filled with comfort and tiny glances from one to the other.

~x~x~x~

**TBC...**

**A/N:** Wow, that was long. As I said before, I'm trying to lengthen this story, add more detail, and make it better. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And, thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers!

*I'm thinkin' along the lines of the doggy day care thing like at Six Flags, only this one is a stable and for horses...and you have to pay. (I'm not sure if you do at the thing at Six Flags.


	4. Chapter 4: Realization

**Title:** The Story of Love and Responsibility

**Author:** YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Violence, Language, Implied Rape

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing. *runs off crying* hehe

**A/N:** Alright, it's been quite a while since I've added anything new to this story. ^-^;;; I do have a very good explanation for that. Since the last chapter, the hand-written, original (and only) copy of this story has been destroyed. Shredded, actually, and now, I have to go at this from memory. I'm not going to dwell on the depressing aspect of this situation, though. I'm going to use it as an opportunity to change some weaknesses in the plot and completely revamp the idea behind it. I know it's going to be a slow and difficult process, but I will _eventually_ get this fic finished. ^-^ I hope you guys enjoy!

_**Chapter IV:Realization **_

Crystal blue eyes stared thoughtfully at the door in front of him. Tala had finished dressing long before Bryan and had subsequently spent the past five minutes with his eyes glued to the wood that was their door. Tala was so deep within his own thoughts that he neglected to hear the thud of heavy boots coming up behind him. He jumped when strong arms wrapped around his waist and warm breath ghosted over his ear.

"You know, it doesn't matter how much you stare at it, it's not gonna move." Bryan murmured. Tala leaned his head back onto a broad shoulder and looked up into the amused face of his lover.

"Haha Bryan." he replied sarcastically.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just that boy, Rei. Kai seems...confused by him." Bryan snorted at Tala's statement.

"Kai? Confused? Yeah, like that's ever happened."

"I know!" the redhead insisted. "Which is what makes this so weird." Lilac eyes traveled to the dark brown door as thoughts, brought on by Tala's comment, swirled around in Bryan's mind.

~x~x~x~

Rei chanced a surreptitious glance at the other male in the room from his seat at one of several wooden tables. Kai was standing with his back against one of the walls, looking surprisingly thoughtfully at the last few bites of his pastry. Rei was unable to chase away the familiar feeling he got every time he looked at the young man. He was so frustrated that he couldn't place him. He knew he had seen that tousled blue and slate hair before. And those eyes...the crimson pools seemed to pierce his very soul with their intense gaze. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Rei turned back to his muffin, deciding it best that he distract himself before his brain short circuited.

Kai kept his gaze on the last bit of chocolate that remained on his fingers as he brought the pale appendages to his mouth. He couldn't seem to get bright golden eyes and jet black hair out of his mind. This was going to drive him insane. Deciding to do something about his annoyance, Kai finally decided to ask the one question that he had been trying to figure out.

"What's your last name?" he spoke gruffly. At the sudden sound of his voice, Rei jumped in his seat and looked at Kai, startled amber meeting amused crimson. The raven haired boy cleared his throat to stall for time as he decided whether or not to answer that question. He didn't know these people. What if, once they found out he was a prince, they decided to hold him for a ransom or something. Rei's train of thought was broken as Tala and Bryan entered, this time fully dressed, from the back of the bakery. He made eye contact with the gentle, humor-filled blue eyes of the redhead and his decision was made. He felt safe here. For some inexplicable reason, he knew he could trust these men. Rei looked back at Kai and saw that he was beginning to get annoyed with his lack of answer and quickly spoke up.

"Kon. My full name is Rei Kon." That simple comment made every eyebrow in the room shoot up. Tala spluttered for a moment before finally being able to force his voice to work.

"As in _Prince_ Rei Kon?" When Rei simply nodded, a devious smirk found it's way onto his face. "As in the prince who's betrothed to the heir of the Hiwatari kingdom?" Rei blushed lightly, but nodded anyway. Tala then surprised the golden-eyed boy by bursting out into a fit of laughter. Behind him, Bryan was trying to hide the fact that he was snickering. Rei was seriously confused. He felt that he was missing something important. He became even more lost when he glanced at Kai, who wore a shocked expression and was becoming paler by the second. Bryan, seeing that his friend wasn't able, or didn't want, to speak, took it upon himself to re-introduce the two. He walked over to Kai and guided him to Rei as the boy stood from his seat.

"Rei Kon, meet Kai Hiwatari." Everyone got their second shock of the day as they watched Rei's expression. First, his brows furrowed before realization hit and, then, golden eyes rolled back into his head and Rei dropped. If not for Kai snapping out of his stupor and reaching out to catch him, Rei would have hit his head on the chair behind him.

~x~x~x~

"How could you _not_ know?"

"Shut up Tala, he didn't know either!"

"Well, Kai, Tala's not the one who always brags about his superior intellect."

As Rei slowly came to, there were very few things he was aware of. One of them was the soft, cushy surface he was currently laying on. The other was the arguing voices that were doing a great job of giving him a headache. He carefully began to crack his eyes open to look up at the men. The three were so caught up in their pointless squabble that they failed to realize that the occupant of the bed was now sitting up and blinking at them in amused confusion. Bryan was the first to see the movement and smacked his boyfriend and best friend in the back of the head.

"Hey, idiots, he's awake." Rei turned crimson when he saw that all eyes in the room were on him. This caused a girlish squeal to erupt from Tala as he bounded over to the bed.

"Aw! The kitty's so cute! Can we keep 'im?" he said as he grabbed Rei around the neck and hugged him for all he was worth. Rei gasped and choked as he was strangled by the exuberant redhead.

"T-T-Tala...can't b-breathe..." Bryan decided to take mercy on the young neko-jin and stalked over to grab his lover by the back of the shirt. As he hauled the complaining man out of the room he explained himself.

"C'mon Tal, they need to talk." Rei giggled slightly at the two before noticing Kai in the room for the first time since he woke up.

"So..." he began nervously. "...yeah..." Rei knew he sounded increadibly stupid, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to have a conversation so bad, he just didn't have any idea how to start one. Golden eyes turned down to his hands in his lap as he started picking at the sheet that covered him. 'Man, I'm such an idiot.' he thought, mentally berating himself. He was startled from his self-hatred as he felt a dip in the bed. He glanced up swiftly and saw Kai sitting beside him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly. Rei was shocked by the gentleness of the man's voice who, until that point, had only graced him with brusk responses and statements.

"F-fine." he stuttered. Kai smirked softly, thoroughly entertained by the boy's nervousness. The bluenette jumped slightly as Rei gasped in excitement. "So, you can smile! I knew it!" This time, it was Kai's turn for a light pink color to dust his face as he looked into the warm, amber eyes that were brimming with happiness. The dark raven bangs perfectly framed a sun-kissed face and musical laughter filled the air. "You should do that more often. I like it." Kai, who had previously been entranced by the vision before him, snapped back to reality.

"Hm, what?" Rei giggled at Kai's confusion.

"Your smile."

~x~x~x~

It was amazing how quickly they warmed up to each other. One minute, they were complete strangers and the next, it was as if they had grown up together. They had spent hours just sitting on the bed talking. And they talked about everything; their lives, parents, and childhoods. Kai entertained Rei with anecdotes of what it was like having Tala and Bryan as best friends and Rei told Kai about Drigger and the many adventures they used to go on when he was a child. By the time they finished talking, Kai saw that night had fallen.

"C'mon, it's getting late. I'll take you home."

"Kai, you don't have to..." Kai silenced Rei by gently caressing his face.

"Yes I do. It's dangerous around here at night." Rei blushed and looked down, smiling shyly.

"Okay." he whispered. Kai grabbed his hand as they walked out of the bedroom. They were immediately met with whistles from Tala.

"Lookie, lookie. So, did you two get down and dirty?" Bryan smacked Tala in the head for his crude question as he stood up from his chair. Kai glared daggers at the redhead as he was approached by the lilac-haired man.

"I assume that you're taking the kitten home?" he asked Kai. Before the bluenette had time to answer, however, Tala piped up again, rushing over to Rei.

"Ooo, I like it! From now on, your nickname shall be Kitten!" he said grinning. Rei's face turned the color of Tala's hair again and he ducked his head in embarrassment. Kai looked down, smiling at Rei, then back up at Bryan.

"Yeah." he answered.

"Well, be careful and good night." he said, taking Kai's hand in a firm shake.

"After all these years, still so formal." Tala criticized as he turned to Kai. "C'mere." he grabbed him in a tight hug. "Good night." He then turned to Rei and gave him the same treatment.

"Good night to you guys, too." Rei said, giving Bryan a hug as well. "And, thank you both. For everything."

"Anytime Kitten." Bryan murmured against the raven hair.

~x~x~x~

The ride back to the Kon kingdom was a fairly uneventful one. Rei leaned back into Kai's chest, reveling in the warmth that surrounded him. They had fallen into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the 'clip clop' of Stardust's hooves on the dirt road they were traveling on. When they finally arrived at Rei's castle, Rei nimbly hopped off of the horse and landed gracefully on the ground. Kai followed suit and accompanied the neko-jin to the castle's entrance.

"You can take Stardust home." Rei said as he turned to face Kai.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive." Kai could only stare as the full moon illuminated Rei's face, making his perfectly pink lips glisten. It made his hair seem even deeper obsidian and his eyes glow ethereally. Kai felt like he was being drawn down toward Rei's face by some unknown force until he was a whisper away from those perfect lips. The feel of Rei's gentle breath on his own lips was intoxicating. He could tell that both their hearts were pounding frantically, but seemed to be in sync with the other. Rei stared into the gleaming crimson eyes in front of him and, though he was terrified that he was reading Kai wrong, he lifted himself up onto his tiptoes and closed the distance between them. The kiss was soft and chaste and, soon, both boys' arms found themselves entangled around the body of the other. It seemed like the kiss lasted an eternity, that they were frozen in a perfect moment of bliss. However, mere seconds later, they parted and matching smiles graced both their faces.

"Good night." Rei whispered and, even though he didn't want to, he stepped away from Kai.

"Good night Kitten." was the reply as Rei blushed for the millionth time that day and stepped inside the door, an infectious and elated smile on his face.

~x~x~x~

**TBC...**

**A/N:** Awww, bring on the fluff! =^-^=


	5. Chapter 5: The Plan

**Title:** The Story of Love and Responsibility

**Author:** YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Yaoi, Violence, Language, Implied Rape

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing. *runs off crying* hehe

**A/N:** And...another chapter! Yay! I believe this is the fastest I've ever updated this fic. . Okies, I know I forgot this last time, but thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing this story. You're critique is much appreciated and you guys rock! ^-^

_**Chapter V: The Plan**_

"REI! REI!" Rei opened groggy eyes as the door to his bed chamber slammed open. A panicked and out of breath Tyson burst into the room. The raven haired boy just blinked in confusion. As soon as the stable hand caught his breath, he continued. "Stardust is gone! Someone stole her!" Before Rei even had the chance to utter a single word, his parents came rushing into the room.

"What's all of the commotion about?" Lan asked, turning worried eyes to his son. Rei quickly answered his father so that Tyson wouldn't have a chance to get his parents worked up over nothing.

"Everything's fine. Tyson, nobody stole Stardust. I just let a...friend...borrow her." he tried to placate his navy haired friend. Tyson just stood there and gaped at Rei as Wu and Lan exchanged knowing looks. They caught the way he hesitated on the word _friend_. For a while now, they had both been privy to the fact that Rei often sneaked off to neighboring kingdoms to sight-see. It was Lan's idea to secretly send one of the guardsmen to watch over him. The man returned, mid-afternoon, to report that Rei had been attacked and, before he was able to intervene, the young Hiwatari heir stepped in. When the guardsman saw that Rei followed the prince into a small bakery, he deemed the boy safe and returned to the Kon kingdom.

"Sweetie, who was this _friend_ that you lent your horse to?" Wu asked in slyly. Rei's eyes widened fractionally and the turned his head to the side to cover up his embarrassed expression.

"U-um...it was no one...just someone I met yesterday."

"Oh, really?" Lan asked. "Because I heard that you took a little trip to Hiwatari's lands yesterday."

"Yes, that's right. Somebody saw you with...who was it now?" Wu faked confusion, grinning at her husband. Both their smiles widened when they saw the sheer horror that showed on their son's face. '_This is too much fun._' she thought to herself. Rei sat in stunned silence for a moment as he tried to figure out the best course of action. He could just come clean about everything. But, of course, that would entail that he admit that he left the kingdom without telling his parents and an escort. Well, they apparently already knew that much, if their expressions were anything to go by. There was also a chance that they _didn't _know anything about yesterday and were just trying to trick him into revealing what he had done wrong. Regardless, he still didn't want to tell them about Kai. He wasn't quite sure why he felt such trepidation at revealing who it was he spent the day with. He slowly glanced up at his parents and decided that they weren't going to leave without an answer. So, with a conceding sigh, Rei bowed his head, black bangs covering his face, and mumbled his answer.

"Kai."  
"What was that son?" Lan asked. Rei just narrowed his eyes at his cover, speaking louder this time.

"Kai Hiwatari." as soon as the name left his mouth, Tyson, who everyone had forgotten about, exploded in surprise.

"WHAT? B-but, that guy's a total jerk! Why would you want to hang out with _him_?" Lan and Wu just stood and watched in amusement as Tyson began to animatedly explain to a wide-eyed Rei just why he thought Kai was such a jerk.

~x~x~x~

Boris Balcov slinked through the dim halls of the foreboding castle. When he came to the hulking, oak doors, he crept inside. After walking up to the desk, he bowed to the man before him.

"What is it?" came the curt reply from Voltaire.

"My lord, preparations for the coming wedding are being made." the gray-haired man looked up at Boris, his dark eyes projecting cold annoyance.

"Is that all you came here to tell me?" he snapped. Boris cleared his throat before answering is boss.

"No sir. It seems we may have a few...minor issues with the plan. Your grandson was seen yesterday with the Kon boy. They spent the day together before they took Kon's horse back to his castle." Rage filled Voltaire's eyes at the new information. He had worked very hard to plan this, had even waited patiently for thirteen years. There was no way that he was going to let _anything_ compromise his plans this close to the end, especially not his brat of a grandson.

"Please inform Kai that I wish to speak to him. Now!"

"Yes my lord." Boris bowed once more before briskly exiting the chamber in search of the youngest Hiwatari.

~x~x~x~

Kai could swear he was beginning to develop a twitch in his right eye. He growled lowly in frustration as his hands tightened on the reigns he held. He had decided to return Stardust to Rei and was currently riding her through the woods that connected their two kingdoms with his own horse tethered behind him. Unfortunately for him, he had run into Tala and Bryan in town and the redhead had insisted that they needed to go with him. When Kai told him no, Tala proceeded to make a scene in the middle of the marketplace. Bryan, being used to his lover's antics, just stood back and watched in amusement. After ten minutes of loud whining, pleading, and generally acting like an idiot, Kai relented. And, so, here they were, with Kai taking up the lead, Tala and Bryan behind him on their own horses, with the blue-eyed maniac talking as loudly and obnoxiously as possible. Kai was seriously doubting his ability to refrain from strangling him before they reached their destination.

"Oh wow! Look at that cute rabbit! Look Bryan! Isn't it cute? I've always wanted a rabbit! Bryan, can we get a rabbit?"

"TALA! Shut up!" Kai finally yelled, having had enough of the senseless chatter. Tala was silent for all of two seconds before pouting.

"Aw, Kai! You scared it away."

"Good!" the bluenette snapped. Bryan just sat back smirking. His lover really loved getting on Kai's nerves. He was quite good at it too. The only thing that concerned him was that, one day, Kai will have finally had enough and end up murdering Tala. Speaking of, Bryan looked up just in time to see him sidle up next to Kai. There was a moment's time when nothing happened. Then, Tala reached up a pale hand and slowly poked Kai. When he wasn't acknowledged, Tala poked him again. He continued for several minutes, after which Kai exploded.

"WHAT?" he turned furious crimson eyes to the boy beside him only to see him laughing. Kai stared at him before slowly beginning to chuckle himself. Tala could annoy him to no end, but he always ended up laughing along with him.

~x~x~x~

Finally, the three boys could see a clearing in front of them and, beyond that, the Kon kingdom's marketplace. As they rode into town, they marveled at how...cheerful the place was. It was nothing like Kai's own kingdom, which, even for all it's power, was rather seedy and riddled with crime. There were children running from stall to stall, giggling in excitement, and friends hanging out just basking in the beautiful day. It was such a peaceful place. When Kai and Rei rode through the previous night, it was already so late that nobody had been out. Kai was pulled abruptly from his observations as Tala suddenly let out a girly squeal. Kai turned to him only to see a small, colorful bird dive-bombing his head. Tala was yelling and flapping his arms wildly while Kai and Bryan just stared, their brains effectively frozen at the insanity of the entire situation. It was at that moment that a short, green-haired boy ran up to them, frantically apologizing while yelling at the tiny, red bird.

"I'm so sorry! She gets like this sometimes. Xiao hong! She doesn't like strangers. I'm so sorry!" When the bird noticed the boy, presumably her owner, she flew to him and landed on his hand. He sighed in relief and gently scolded her. "Xiao hong, you know you're not supposed to fly off like that." He then turned violet eyes to the three on the horses and smiled apologetically. "I really am sorry for that. My name's Kevin Cheng and this little trouble maker is Xiao hong." Before the others had a chance to say anything, a voice came from behind Kevin.

"I told you that bird would get you into a mess." said a boy, slightly older than Kevin, with short, black hair and haughty amusement in his brownish, gold eyes. Beside him was a girl with abhorrent pink hair that, in Kai's opinion, was an assault on the senses. As Kevin whipped his head around to glare at the newcomers, Kai noticed that the three were dressed in outfits that were far fancier than those of the villagers. _'Hm, maybe they're part of the royal court.'_ he thought silently.

"Shut up, Lee!" Kevin yelled. The black-haired boy, Lee, just smirked and turned his attention to Kai, Bryan, and Tala.

"I'm sorry for my friend here. He really doesn't know how to act his age."

"Hey!" Kevin exclaimed. Tala looked from one to the other, then spared a diabolical glance at the bird that still sat, nestled, on Kevin's hand.

"It's alright...I guess." he said slowly. Lee smiled brightly then took it upon himself to introduce them.

"As you probably already know, my name is Lee Wong and this is my sister, Mariah. We come from a neighboring kingdom to the south, over the mountains. Mariah and myself are the only children of the King and Queen. Kevin here is a friend of the family." he spoke as if he wanted everyone to know just how special they were. Kai sighed before giving their introductions in a bored voice.

"I'm Prince Kai Hiwatari of the Hiwatari Kingdom to the north and these are my friends, Tala Ivanov and Bryan Kuzentov." Lee looked a bit miffed that Kai turned out to be a prince as well, a fact which gave the bluenette a sense of satisfaction. Just when Kai was about to ride away from the narcissist and his friends, Mariah spoke up for the first time.

"Hey, why are you riding Stardust?" Kai turned to her sharply and gave her a withering look.

"How do you know the name of this horse?" he demanded. Mariah just huffed and crossed her arms.

"Because that horse belongs to the prince of this kingdom. Now, I won't ask you again, why do you have that horse?"

"I don't have to answer to you woman, but, if you must know, _Rei_ gave her to me to ride home last night." he growled, with a touch of pride at the reaction he caused when he referred to Rei by his first name.

"Wha- b-but, how do you know Rei?" she sputtered. A dark smirk crossed Kai's face, but Tala beat him to the punch.

"Oh? Haven't you heard?" he began in a sickly sweet voice. "Kai and Rei are betrothed. Now that Rei's sixteen, it won't be long before they'll be wed." They watched as Mariah's face turned bright red and her eyes widened in horror. She shrieked her disdain at the news.

"That's not true! You're lying!"

"Sorry girly, but it is true." Bryan said.

"No! How can Rei marry _you_ when _I'm_ his girlfriend? Huh?" Kai's face drained of all emotion and a dark glare was aimed at the three on the ground.

"It doesn't matter. He was promised to me and we _will_ be wed." he ground out forcefully. Turning to Tala and Bryan, he barked, "Let's go!"

~x~x~x~

Darren Komarovski stalked down the street, an air of malicious anger surrounding him. He had been in a foul mood ever since his pride was severely damaged the day before. That neko-jin brat had looked like an easy enough target, pretty too, but then the prince just had to show up and save his sorry ass. If the boy had simply escaped, Darren may have let it go, but nobody made a fool out of him and lived to talk about it. He would have his revenge, he just had to be patient and wait for the perfect time to strike. Surely the boy would be out and about without his _bodyguard_. When that time came, Darren would be there, waiting.

~x~x~x~

Kai paced back and forth in his room, finally punching the cinder-block wall out of frustration. He only succeeded, however, in effectively busting his knuckles. His thoughts wondered back to the events that had occurred earlier that day. After that pink-haired _girl _told them about being Rei's _girlfriend_ Kai had been pissed. He didn't even know why it had affected him so much. It was almost as if he felt...betrayed. '_I guess I took more of a liking to him than I originally thought.'_ He was definitely attracted to Rei, that much he knew, but he had never had any trouble keeping distant from anyone he'd ever been with. He'd never felt like this before and was confused as to why it was so hard for him to be aloof. That was why he'd reacted the way he did when they finally arrived at Rei's castle.

_As soon as they entered the castle grounds, Kai jumped off of Stardust and landed easily on the ground. He was vaguely aware of Tala and Bryan dismounting behind him, but his concentration was on the black-haired beauty in the distance. He took hold of the horse's reigns and stormed over to Rei and a navy-haired boy. Ignoring Tala's calls for him to wait, he swiftly closed the remaining gap between them. Rei turned when he heard footsteps behind him and, when he saw who it was, the warmest smile he had ever seen lit up the boy's face. This, however, only served to fuel his anger._

"_Here's your damn horse." he growled as he practically threw the reigns at him. A slightly hurt confusion made the smile melt from Rei's face. Tyson picked that moment to give his opinion._

"_See Rei, what'd I tell ya? A total jerk." Kai turned burning crimson eyes on Tyson._

"_You shut up!" he then turned his attention to Rei making the boy jump. "And, you, do whatever the hell you want; I really don't give a shit. The only reason we have to get married is because your army is so pathetic that you can't even defend your own land. As far as I'm concerned, this is just a convenient contract between our two kingdoms and nothing more. I hope you and your whore are happy." Kai snarled in Rei's face. Ignoring the boy's devastated look and the tears rapidly welling up in his eyes, Kai turned on his heel and walked away. Everyone else around was rooted to their respective spots in stunned silence. Bryan and Tala were the first to snap out of their trances when they became aware of Kai mounting his horse and riding off. Tala was torn between following Kai and staying behind to console the obviously distraught Rei. Bryan gently touched his arm and, when blue eyes met his lilac ones, Bryan shook his head slightly and mouthed 'later.' Tala just nodded and the two walked back to their own horses._

Kai was still fuming from what he had found out. Blowing up at Rei didn't seem to lighten his mood at all. He was startled from his introspection when a knock sounded at his door.

"Yes?"

"Master Kai, your grandfather wishes to speak with you." Kai rolled his eyes when he heard Boris' voice.

"I'm coming" he replied.

When Kai arrived at Voltaire's study, he knocked on the door and waited to be given permission to enter. As he walked up to the desk, Voltaire instructed him to sit and, when he complied, began to speak.

"Now Kai, the reason I have asked to speak with you is because I wanted to make sure you understood the plan we have in place. I heard that you seemed rather _close_ to the Kon boy yesterday. I hope that you haven't made the novice mistake of getting too close." Kai stiffened slightly at the mention of Rei.

"Of course not grandfather. I was simply gaining his trust." Voltaire made a sound of appreciation before replying.

"Smart boy. I'm glad you understand. The plans for the wedding ceremony have already begun. It won't be long now, my boy, until the Hiwataris are the most powerful force in the world." Voltaire laughed sinisterly. "Now, I want you to be thinking about how the young neko-jin will meet his demise."

"Yes grandfather."

~x~x~x~

**TBC...**

**A/N:** Ooooo! Cliffy! I'm so evil. Hehe .


End file.
